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Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas is celebrating a glowing start to the New Year, with a string of accolades highlighting the brand’s elite recognition by both the travel industry and consumers. Four Anantara properties have been named in Travel & Leisure USA’s 500 World’s Best Hotels, while a fifth shone out in Conde Nast’s 2010 Gold List.
Every year Travel & Leisure USA asks hundreds of thousands of its loyal readers to select their top hotel picks from around the world to ascertain the 500 World’s Best Hotels. This year their readers’ poll ranked not one, but four Anantara Resorts & Spas worthy of inclusion.
Out of a portfolio of seven Anantara Thailand properties, an impressive hat trick made the grade. Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa in the country’s legendary northern jungle sits on a hill ridge overlooking the misty forested slopes of Myanmar and Laos, as well as the Mekong and Ruak rivers. Highlights of the 160 acre resort include the on-site Elephant Camp which offers a range of captivating guest adventures alongside a strong focus on elephant conservation and wider philanthropic initiatives.
Proving that quintessential seaside charm in Thailand’s Royal Paradise delivers equal allure, Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa also made Travel & Leisure USA’s 500 World’s Best Hotels. Nestling the golden sands and temperate waters of the Gulf of Siam, this picturesque resort is designed to resemble an authentic southern Thai-style village.
The brand’s third Thailand property named in this year’s Travel + Leisure awards is Anantara Bophut, Koh Samui Resort & Spa. The first of Anantara’s two resorts on the beautiful island of Koh Samui, this romantic haven blends island magic with Thai charm and Anantara style.
Most notably Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa was the only hotel chosen by Travel + Leisure readers in the Maldives, clearly demonstrating its unsurpassed uniqueness in the world’s most famous paradise. Anantara Veli, a sister property in the Maldives was also recently named in the Trip Advisor Reader’s Choice Poll for ‘Top 10 Hotels for Romance in Asia’.
Anantara’s immersion into Abu Dhabi’s desert charms also received distinction, with Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara featuring in Conde Nast’s Gold List 2010. The sixth annual Gold List to date, this guide to the world’s greatest hotels is chosen by the magazine’s editors and travel experts based on service, location, facilities, as well as ambience and design. Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara ranked in the location category for Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean for its unrivaled setting on Sir Bani Yas Island – a unique nature reserve roamed by rare Arabian wildlife.
William E. Heinecke, Chief Executive Officer of Minor Group under which the Anantara brand operates, comments, “These multiple award wins place Anantara on an unquestionable pedestal, highlighting the brand as a globally revered luxury hotel company and a leader in the hospitality business. We are delighted to once again be celebrating Anantara’s interactive concept of indigenous luxury in the most exotic destinations around the world, and look forward to launching equally compelling resorts as we implement our expansion plans.”
For intrepid globe trotters and travel experts alike, the year ahead promises a wealth of fresh Anantara horizons to explore. Anantara Kihavah Villas Maldives, set upon a large, pear-shaped coral island in the stunning Baa Atoll, is due to welcome its first guests in July 2010, to be followed by Anantara Al Madina A’Zarqa Resort & Spa in Oman occupying a natural peninsula jutting into the Gulf’s crystal clear waters, and Anantara Sanya Resort & Spa on Sanya Island just off the southern tip of Hainan in China, both due to open towards the end of this year.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
